1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for manufacturing a packaged cartridge product, and more particularly to a method of and an apparatus for manufacturing a packaged cartridge product by automatically loading a cartridge which houses therein a roll of photographic film into a case and mounting a case cap on the case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, photographic films are processed and packaged by performing various processes which include cutting off a film of fixed length, winding the film of fixed length into a film scroll, inserting the film scroll into a cartridge, loading the cartridge into a case, and closing the case with a case cap.
In order to automatically insert the cartridge into the case, either one of the cartridge or the capsule (case) is rotated around the longitudinal axis of the cartridge at the same time the cartridge starts being inserted, and the leader (film end) of the film is wound around the cartridge by relative motion of the leader and the rim of the capsule, thereby loading the cartridge and the leader of the film into the capsule. The cap (case cap) is firmly pressed into the capsule which has been loaded with the cartridge so as to engage the open end of the capsule. For details, reference should be made to Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-5947.
According to the disclosure of Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-5947, when the cartridge is loaded into the capsule, the cartridge that is being delivered into the capsule is attracted by a magnetic support head. The cartridge that has been loaded in the capsule is forcibly released from the magnetic support head by an application of compressed air, and remains loaded in the capsule. For pressing the cap to engage in the capsule and closing the cap, the cap is loosely supported in the open end of the capsule, and then while the capsule is being moved, the cap is resiliently pressed against the capsule by passing the capsule across a spring-loaded roller.
When the cartridge is loaded into the capsule, it has also been practiced to attract the cartridge with a suction pad for thereby holding the cartridge. For details, reference should be made to Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2001-281808.
According to the technologies disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-5947 and Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2001-281808, however, a supply of compressed air is required for applying compressed air to the cartridge and a supply of negative-pressure air is required for attracting the cartridge. Therefore, the overall equipment that is required is relatively complex and large in size, and is relatively costly to manufacture.
According to the disclosure of Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 9-5947, furthermore, when the cap is pressed to engage in the capsule, the cap is pressed against the capsule by the spring-loaded roller as the capsule moves. Therefore, the pressing force applied to the cap tends to be unstable. In order to close the cap accurately and reliably, it is necessary to considerably increase the biasing force of the spring. However, the increased biasing force of the spring is liable to damage the cap and the capsule.